New Ford Explorer for Sale in Norwood, PA
Consumer Reviews for the Ford Explorer
Read recent reviews for the Ford Explorer
Sawgrass Road Ranger, 02/12/2021
2021 Ford Explorer Limited 4dr SUV (2.3L 4cyl Turbo 10A)
As someone who has driven a 2020 Dodge Durango, GMC Acadia and the Ford Explorer over the past year, I got a pretty good comparison between the different models. The Ford Explorer just reached 30,000 miles around a month ago.
First the good. I think the Explorer handles nice, the Ecoboost 2.3L engine gives you enough power and the fuel economy was pretty good, I averaged around 26Mpg … on the highway cruising around 75Mph.
I think Ford is definitely ahead both GM and FCA in technology and features. The LED headlights were great, the Adaptive Cruise with Lane Keeping Assist keep the vehicle in the lane and a comfortable distance from cars ahead. I really like the Auto Hold feature which holds the brake pedal at stop lights, the kick to open tailgate I used quite a bit, the ambient lighting was a nice feature. Overall, the vehicle is definitely well thought out with nice technology features throughout.
Now for the bad. There is little mystery that Ford was having major quality control issues building this vehicle, with significant numbers requiring rework at their IL plant. This vehicle is a all new design and we all know cars are known to have issues in the first couple of years of a new model.
Mine was no exception. I had random gremlins pop up on the vehicle. Here is the list:
Auto Hold would fault out at random. It would then recover on its own with no explanation.
The backup camera started working intermittently, then mostly not working at all. The camera quality is definitely poor, especially at night. I could barely see my driveway at night when backing up when it was working. It was so snowy and grainy at night it was practically unusable.
The GPS on the car would randomly stop working. Looking at built in Navigation system, it was comical seeing that I was driving over water and out to see or into the Everglades. I just got used to seeing a GPS with a Red circle and a line through it at random.
I have always been neutral on the SYNC system Ford uses in their vehicles. It was never stellar but never bothered me much either. This one uses SYNC Version 3. This one however is painfully slow. I'm not talking about nit picky slow. I'm talking sloooooooow. Countless times I had started the car and left the parking lot, and was literally driving down the road, and the system was still booting up. It is obvious the system CPU is completely inadequate to run this system.
Bluetooth system. Since travel a lot on the road, I transition in and out of the car on the phone a lot. The Bluetooth on this car would most of the time pick up the call and transfer it to the car system, but you had no audio. You would have to disconnect and then reconnect the call most of the time. It was clunky, unreliable and frustrating. Compare than to the GM cars I have driven, and the Bluetooth transfers calls seamlessly, every time.
And now the worst part. The 10 speed transmission on the Explorer is brand new and untested. I thought it was a bit busy but mostly competent, although a tad sluggish and reluctant to up shift in Normal mode. Its main function in life is to keep the fuel economy respectable, and it accomplishes that. It has one major problem however. It is notoriously unreliable.
The transmission on my car started making grinding and howling noises around 27,000 miles. Mostly in the lower gears, 1st, 2nd and 3rd. The problem got progressively worse over the next 3000 miles. At around 30,000 miles on a chilly day (upper 30's), the car gave me a Transmission Fault and refused to go into gear. It eventually recovered after I let the engine run and drove with its usual noises. I drove it another 300 miles or so and it got progressively worse until it sounded like metal crunching and was dropping out of gear and slipping. It basically had a complete transmission failure at 30,000 miles.
Since this vehicle was a company issue and I would have swapped it out at around 36k miles, I ended up switching early to another vehicle.
So, I just wanted share my experience with it here. I drive mostly highway miles and the miles reflected about a year worth of driving. My personal opinion is that the transmission would have lasted fewer miles in typical city driving and I never towed anything with the vehicle and it mostly carried only myself on board, so minimal passenger load.
I hope Ford figures out the issues, especially the transmission problem. Until they do, I can't recommend anyone buying this vehicle or owning it out of warranty. These transmission issues are common and well known.
Hope this helps for anyone considering putting this vehicle on their shopping list.
Trim | MPG | Engine | Starting Price |
---|---|---|---|
2023 Ford Explorer XLT 4dr SUV AWD (2.3L 4cyl Turbo 10A) | 20 - 27 | 4-cylinders (gas) | $45,335 |
2023 Ford Explorer Timberline 4dr SUV AWD (2.3L 4cyl Turbo 10A) | 19 - 22 | 4-cylinders (gas) | $52,200 |
2023 Ford Explorer ST-Line 4dr SUV AWD (2.3L 4cyl Turbo 10A) | 20 - 27 | 4-cylinders (gas) | $51,670 |
2023 Ford Explorer ST 4dr SUV AWD (3.0L 6cyl Turbo 10A) | 18 - 24 | 6-cylinders (gas) | $61,410 |
2023 Ford Explorer undefined | N/A | N/A | $61,905 |
More about the Ford Explorer
Edmunds has 91 New Ford Explorers for sale near you, including a 2023 Explorer XLT SUV and a 2023 Explorer ST SUV ranging in price from $45,335 to $62,005.
How much is a new 2023 Ford Explorer in Norwood, PA?
- A new 2023 Ford Explorer starts at $45,335 (including destination charge) in Norwood, PA. Prices will go up based on the trim level you choose and any options you add. Keep in mind that prices can also vary from one state to another and even from one dealership to the next. Learn more
How much does a 2023 Ford Explorer SUV cost in Norwood, PA?
- A new 2023 Ford Explorer SUV starts at $45,335 in Norwood, PA. Prices will vary depending on what trim level you choose. Each state may have different pricing, so make sure you enter your correct ZIP code on Edmunds. Learn more
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